


Backgammon, beer and bonding

by lola381pce



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Backgammon beer and bonding, Developing Friendships, Ficlet, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 20:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10998708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lola381pce/pseuds/lola381pce
Summary: Jeff wants to spend some non-SHIELD time with Phil and offers to become his Padawan, if Phil will be his Jedi Master. Backgammon, beer and bonding with some Space Trek thrown in (Space Trek?!?! Jeff's an ass and some form of retribution may be required).





	Backgammon, beer and bonding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Skyson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/gifts).



> A ficlet for captainskyson's birthday based on the Drabble prompt "Teach me how to play."

“Teach me how to play.”

Phil looked up to see Jeff standing hesitantly at the door. He’d just finished a gruelling but enjoyable session playing backgammon with May (well… more being soundly thrashed by May) and was clearing away the set when the SHIELD Director had appeared, making his request.

“Just had my butt kicked by May. You sure you want _me_ to teach you?” Phil smiled at him but he stopped packing the black and white discs into their places.

Jeff took that as encouragement and entered the room holding up a couple of beers.

“I brought payment… or bribery depending on your view. Besides I’m pretty sure you’d do it without killing me with your eye rolls.”

“Payment terms are acceptable,” Phil told him with a grin. “And don’t be so sure about the eye rolls. So…. have you ever played before, Jeff?”

He uncapped a bottle and set it down in front of Phil who nodded his thanks. Slipping out of his suit jacket, he shook his head in the negative and loosened his tie then unfastened the buttons at his throat. He sat down opposite Phil and took a long swallow of his own beer. He pretended not to notice the way Phil watched him as he drank even though he found he liked the way Phil’s eyes followed the movement of his throat.

“Nope. I’m all yours, Jedi Master,” he teased, knowing about Phil’s nerdy sci-fi, superhero complex.

Phil almost choked on his beer at the Star Wars reference. “Seriously?”

“Too old to be your Padawan?” Jeff grinned. Coulson shrugged, giving him a mischievous look.

“Little bit but… you get definite bonus points for the whole Star Wars thing. Okay, so the object is to get your checkers to your home board then bear them off; remove them from the board,” Phil clarified at Jeff’s confused expression. “My object is the same but I move in the opposite direction to you and… I’m trying to stop you from bearing off first.”

“So I need to play tactically,” said Jeff, accepting the white pieces from Phil watching him position his checkers on the triangles (or points as Phil called them).

“Fast learner you are,” Phil told him in his best Yoda voice. This time Jeff nearly sprayed his beer across the board. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth catching a few stray drips (and causing Phil to swallow thickly even though he wasn’t drinking… interesting).

“Okay. Enough Space Trek. Let’s get it on,” he told Phil in mock seriousness before he was tempted to do something crazy like kiss the other man. He hadn’t come here for that, but damn, he wanted to. Especially after noting Phil’s potential interest.

Phil raised an eyebrow - Space Trek demanded some sort of retribution - but for now he smirked giving him a single nod in agreement.

He explained the positioning of the checkers and the various rules as he showed Jeff how set up. The first game was to let the SHIELD Director find his way and learn how think strategically when playing. Phil beat him easily in ten minutes. The second game lasted almost twice that and Jeff only ended up stranded on the bar three times instead of six in the first game. The third went on for half an hour until Phil’s last checker was removed from the board, leaving Jeff with seven of his fifteen pieces still in play.

Jeff sat back heavily in his seat frowning at the board. “I’m never going to get the hang of it,” he said sadly.

Phil glanced up at him as he gathered up the pieces and started to put them away. “You were pretty strong in that last game. Then you focused on beating me instead of winning.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Nope.”

Jeff considered Phil’s words, and thought about the moves he’d made and realised he was right. Dammit! He’d been so busy trying to maroon the other man on the bar that he missed several easy plays that would have had him bearing off an additional three pieces. He shook his head at himself in amused annoyance.

“Well… thanks, Phil. I enjoyed it even though you kicked my ass,” Jeff told him as he stood up from the table. Phil was a patient instructor and while they mostly talked backgammon, he found he was genuinely happy spending some non-SHIELD time with his predecessor. He’d even managed not to think about kissing him for almost an hour.

Phil nodded.

“Me too, Jeff. Barring having to save the world, or… deal with some other crisis like talking to Talbot, same time tomorrow?” he asked. “Let’s see if you can make it to Jedi Knight.”

Jeff gave him a smile that deepened the dimples in his cheeks. “Forward to it I will look.”

Phil rolled his eyes in epic fashion. He wasn’t quite Melinda May but he definitely had an effect on Jeff.

**Author's Note:**

> This really has nothing to do with Star Wars so I've not tagged it as such. It's just a bit of fluff for Coulace fans

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Retribution](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11985654) by [lola381pce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lola381pce/pseuds/lola381pce)




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